The Fire and EMS chief told the Dallas Public Safety Committee on June 23 that the department currently has 15 full-time staff members and 19 part-time EMT firefighters and has accepted an Oregon State Fire Marshal staffing grant that will fund two additional hires.

The staffing grant will allow the department to employ two people who will work 12-hour shifts (40 hours weekly) and must “spend 51% of their time on the fire engine,” the chief said, adding the seasonal positions will run from July 24 through Oct. 31. The hires will be placed to focus on daytime call volume and fire-prevention activities such as defensible-space surveys and hydrant access checks.

The nut graf: The grant and seasonal hires aim to bolster daytime fire-prevention capacity during a longer-than-expected fire season while the department balances call-response needs and limited personnel.

Department leaders said they already hired one seasonal volunteer and are reviewing applications for the second position. The chief said the grant award was delayed a few weeks; the department held off on hiring immediately so the grant-funded period would cover the peak of the fire season into the fall.

The department also will host Chemeketa Fire Science interns. “They come to us basically plug and play. They come with their own gear,” the chief said, noting students will work 48-hour shifts alongside crews and already have experience serving on Chemeketa apparatus in prior responses.

The city deployed its brush truck and two personnel to the Rowena Fire in the Columbia Gorge for five days; additional mutual-aid requests were declined because local staffing and training schedules limited availability, the chief said. “Our first priority is here,” the chief said.

On equipment and billing, the chief said a new ambulance—intended primarily for interfacility transfers—should be available for a walk-around in July with delivery expected in August, and that changes to the fee schedule will allow the city to bill for some services even when transport does not occur.

Discussion (not a formal action): committee members asked whether the recent full-time resignation was for personal reasons and whether the department will actively recruit to fill that vacancy; the chief confirmed recruiting will continue. The committee did not take a formal vote on staffing or the grant at the June 23 meeting.

Ending: The seasonal hires, interns and new ambulance are scheduled to be in service over the summer; the department said it will continue recruiting to restore long-term full-time staffing levels.